Originally didn't think I would get anything as the entire south eastern horizon was overcast and the wind was gusty. I was seriously thinking of going home but I saw the first glimpse of the tail. Boy, it's long!
Decided to hang around as the cloud was clearing and the wind dropped to basically nothing. However, cloud just wouldn't clear to the SE. Of course there wasn't a cloud in sight in any other direction. Second night in a row this has occurred. Adelaide's weather not looking any good until Wednesday so this might be my last attempt depending on how much it fades over the coming days.
Thanks to those who have given me advice re camera settings. Stopping down my lens helped with star bloating. I was also able to achieve focus by AF on a distant light and then switching to manual mode. At the end of the day, I have an oldish camera (canon 400D) and I'm only using a stock standard lens, so I should be contempt with what I have.
ISO1600
Standard 18-55mm lens working @ 18mm
F5.6
Exposure 60secs
Hi Dan,
Still a good shot. I find more foreground give a nice widefield balance.
I got some clouds too but they cleared a bit later to an acceptable level.
The 400D is still a respectable camera for Astro Photography (AP) and an easy one to learn with. Lenses are the more important investment. You can get out of it with less expense as for AP you don't really need Auto Focus. have a look at my post today. I used an old Richo 50mm F1.8 prime lens for that. It is a Pentax mount but you can get Pentax K to Canon EOS adaptors for under $20.
Dont buy the really cheap ones as I found that they have too much latteral slop in them. Some of them even have a focus indicator but I have not tried that yet.
You cant use the older Canon FD lenses as they wont focus at infinity without a special (expensive) adaptor but fine for macro. You may have some older lenses at home already, all you need is an appropriate adaptor.
Another investment is a viewfinder magnifier (Ebay). The right angle ones are good and help you focus.
Well done Dan, I was lazy and stayed in bed as it looked cloudy low on the horizon here this morning - I wonder how much trouble I'll be in with the wife if I go out chasing it early Christmas morning...
I used an old Richo 50mm F1.8 prime lens for that. It is a Pentax mount but you can get Pentax K to Canon EOS adaptors for under $20.
Dont buy the really cheap ones as I found that they have too much latteral slop in them. Some of them even have a focus indicator but I have not tried that yet.
You cant use the older Canon FD lenses as they wont focus at infinity without a special (expensive) adaptor but fine for macro. You may have some older lenses at home already, all you need is an appropriate adaptor.
I actually have a 50mm Olympus OM-System lens (f1.8-16). Pity I won't be able to get an adapter anytime soon.
Well done Dan, I was lazy and stayed in bed as it looked cloudy low on the horizon here this morning - I wonder how much trouble I'll be in with the wife if I go out chasing it early Christmas morning...
Michael
haha, yeah I'm in the same position. However, I think the clouds will save me from having to ask
